Kristallnacht: Murder by Euphemism

To remember Kristallnacht properly, we must first renounce its German-given name.

Seventy years ago, on the nights of November 9 and 10, 1938, rampaging mobs throughout Germany, Austria and Sudetenland freely attacked Jews in the street, in their homes and at their places of work and worship in a carefully orchestrated outbreak of government sponsored violence. At least 96 Jews were killed and hundreds more injured, hundreds of synagogues were burned, almost 7,500 Jewish businesses were destroyed, cemeteries and schools were vandalized, and 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps – many of them never to return alive to their loved ones.

Many historians consider that as the real beginning of the Holocaust, the first step in the planned extermination of the Jewish people leading to the eventual deaths of six million victims of the Nazi program of genocide.

For that reason it is certainly proper to commemorate this harbinger of horror, the infamous dates that mark the onset of the spiral of unimaginable hatred unloosed among a supposedly civilized people.

What is unfathomable to me, though, is the name by which this commemoration continues to be known.

This November Jewish communities throughout the world will again gather to recall Kristallnacht – and will unwittingly allow themselves, in some measure, to verbally embrace the very heresy that abetted the Holocaust.

Kristallnacht is German for "the night of crystal." And 70 years after the horrible events of 1938 should have given us by now sufficient perspective to expose the lie of a horrible WMD – Word of Mass Deception – that epitomizes the key to the most powerful methodology for murder perfected by the Nazis.

How, after all, were the Nazis able to commit their crimes under the veneer of civilized respectability? Upon analysis, the answer is obvious. They glorified the principle of murder by euphemism.

SPECIAL TREATMENT

In the language of the Nazi perpetrators: Sonderbehandlung ("special treatment") was the way to describe gassing victims. Euthanasie was the "polite" way to speak of the mass murder of retarded or physically handicapped patients. Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Makes you Free) were the words that greeted new arrivals at the entrance to the death camp of Auschwitz. When the Nazis launched their plan to annihilate the remaining Jews in Poland in the fall of 1943, they called it "Erntefest," or Harvest Festival. And perhaps most cynical of all was the use of the term, "Endloesung der Judenfrage" – in English "The Final Solution" – to express the concept for which civilized language as yet had no term. (The word ‘genocide' was introduced in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin, who had escaped from German-occupied Poland to the US.)

Euphemisms, as Quentin Crisp so brilliantly put it, are "unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne." On the simplest level the name Kristallnacht suggests that the only terrible thing that happened was breakage of a tremendous amount of glass that would have to be replaced – a financial loss caused by wasteful vandalism that the government subsequently dealt with by taxing the Jewish community to pay for the damages inflicted upon them.

Kristallnacht was the German euphemism for a time of sanctioned killing. The word takes into account only the loss of kristall, and is one reason why its continued usage is so appalling.

But there was more to it than that.

Dr. Walter H. Pehle, a historian specializing in modern Germany, has already pointed out that Kristallnacht's original intent was cynically propagandizing the violence into something metaphorically holding "sparkle and gleam" for Germany. Almost by way of confirmation, in googling the English for "crystal night" I was startled to find among the many references that related to the night of Nazi terror, the inclusion of the following ad: "For an extra-inviting glow, consider using Sylvania's new C7 Crystal night light bulbs in your electric candles. The multi-faceted crystal lights provide a warm, sparkly glow."

It is that very connection that played no small role in Goebbel's choice of descriptive for a moment that the German Minister of Propaganda wanted to immortalize as a sparkling and glowing portend of a future rid of its "Jewish parasites."

We must proclaim that we commemorate not broken windows but shattered lives.

Why then would we choose to identify the night of initial mass murders with a word that not only ignores everything other than broken glass, but in fact glorifies its results as gifts of crystal clear light to the distorted truths of Nazi ideology?

To remember Kristallnacht properly we must first renounce its German-given name.

We must proclaim that we commemorate not broken windows but shattered lives.

We must pledge never again to allow evil to enter our lives disguised as the good and the noble.

We must declare that no euphemisms will ever again be permitted to cloak the horrors they intend to conceal.

Kristallnacht must be observed, but let it be known by a name that realistically captures its iniquitous essence. Allow me to suggest that we call it instead Kainsnacht, the "Night of Cain," the first murderer at the very beginning of human history, who was cursed by God and condemned to carry a mark of his crime on his forehead for the rest of his days as a warning to mankind of the severity of his sin.

That would link its commemorative date not with mob acts of breakage and vandalism, but rather with the far more heinous crime of unforgivable murder first committed by Cain.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a frequent contributor to Aish, is a Professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, and lecturer. Author of 14 highly acclaimed books with combined sales of over a half million copies, his newest, The World From A Spiritual Perspective, is a collection of over 100 of his best Aish articles. See his website at www.benjaminblech.com.

Visitor Comments: 59

(57)
Bertrand ESCAFFRE,
December 26, 2012 11:33 AM

Totally agree

Shalom, ... Esav speaks always very polite, very official, with correct pleasant words and documents. But he stays always violent in front of real study, knowledge, law, respect of ancestors, brotherhood, right for spiritual elevation, the other's traditions, and love for the neighbour man. "Crystal" is a word of pureness. WHY don't we gather and make pressure so as the History books now speak of THE NIGHT OF SHAME ?

(56)
Michael,
November 27, 2012 2:24 AM

Very informative.

Enlightening. Thought I had read it all on this subject over the years, but even this quote of Benjamin Crisp , on euphemisms ,was so rich in flourish, that I reproduce it once more." Euphemisms, as Quentin Crisp so brilliantly put it, are "unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne." For your dilligence in educating, toda rabba.

(55)
brett,
November 8, 2012 4:26 PM

true meaning

Great article Rabbi. Thank you for exposing the WMD found in this historic event. Even if the name does not change, I will always embrace what you have revealed in wisdom. It truly was The Night of Cain!

(54)
k,
November 8, 2012 9:26 AM

Never Again? Mass murder in North Korea

Many of the comments state "we must never allow something like this to happen again". A new documentary out in Germany this week deals with Camp 14., a concentration camp in North Korea today - prob the only documentary worldwide breaking the convenient silence. Yes, there are many concentration camps in North Korea where people are tortured, starved and worked to death. And guess what? Noone cares or talks about it. Children are born into these camps, slave laboured and punished into the third generatioon, for "crimes" some grandparent did (eg disagree with the communist regime). They survive by eating grass and weeds and insects they find, they are tortured and beaten to death. Google "Camp 14" and you get an English summary as well and try to persuade a TV station/cinenas to show it- or are they too gutless to show it ? Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in this hidden Gulag and we are talking about today, 2012. Whilst young Americans debate whether Roosevelt ought to have bombed the tracks to the death camps during the Nazi period, such things are happening. Future generations will rightfully laugh at us and say they were so self righteous and at the same time ignored the concentration camps of their day. For G`s sake - shame!

(53)
R Burton,
November 7, 2012 1:54 PM

Renaming Kristallnacht

Shalom Rabbi Blech:
I agree completely that the name of "Kristallnacht" should be renamed. To call it "The night of broken glass" hardly describes the horrible destruction of humanity that transpired. Quite simply it is difficult to really comprehend the depth of evil that infected those who spread the hate, but we must always remember that G-d will always take vengeance on those who so evil against His chosen people. Thank you so very much for opening my eyes to the idea of renaming this terrible time.

(52)
Eli Ohav,
November 7, 2012 12:25 AM

Rav Schwab on Kristallnacht

Selected Writings Chapter 18 by Rav Shimon Schwab zt"l is his penetrating analysis of Kristallnacht. He does not say he is against the title (comment 10 states he does, I don't know). He does say the name symbolizes the shattering of an illusion - that "people refused to accept reality until they were rudely awakened by the shattering of glass..." He goes on to say that the lesson of Kristallnacht is "not to make the same mistake as our ancestors, to believe there is any other ethical culture for us beside the Torah." As such, one can make a case that the euphasim Kristallnacht is indeed not a euphiamism at all. perhaps this particular name is G-d's eternal reminder of the significance of that day and its deep ideological and religous meaning.
Rabbi Blech, shlit"a has again written an insightful and thought provoking piece. We look forward to many more.

(51)
Anonymous,
November 6, 2012 11:50 PM

Words should match their meaning

I am so grateful for the term "Kainsnacht." Many concepts have had misleading words attached to them, but changing the word to something more fitting has helped people grasp the real meaning and this is no exception. When Arthur Miller wrote a play, maybe 20 years ago, about this night of horror, he was forced to change the name to "Broken Glass," a name that only hints at the subject matter of this painful play. In the secular word, we have switched from "retarded" to developmentally disabled," for example. People get it and appreciate the difference. At the same time, we must be vigilant not to allow another Shoah to happen.

(50)
winine wright7,
November 6, 2012 7:26 PM

What ever the Lalanguage used no matter just see The young growing up are educated As go What the Germans and other countries allowed to happen thru hatred for gods people

(49)
David S. Levine,
November 6, 2012 4:15 PM

Kristalnacht is Useful and Adequate

With all due respect to Rabbi Blech, and he is due much respect, the term "Kristalnacht" has come into the English and most other languages and by its use in the context it's used, come to stand for a night of terror reflecting the bigotry of Nazism. To use any other term or word by this point in time would be counterproductive. Unknowingly the German language has supplied a word with connotation as well as denotation.

Alexander,
November 8, 2012 8:29 AM

R' Blech has a good point. It's as if they called it 'Beautiful Night" - we should be repulsed by this. Words do have meanings and we are not beholden to use a word if we find it offensive. I read that Pogromnacht and Novemberpogrome are already in use by German writers, and propose that we start using one of them. They are quite literal and descriptive terms that should easily catch on.

(48)
k,
November 6, 2012 3:34 PM

Reichspogromnacht

Whilst the National Socialists used cynical euphemasisms (and not only they, the communists equally etc), I doubt that in reality the horror of the Reichtsprogromnacht (the term equally used in Germany) is hidden behind the term "Reichskristallnacht. " Personally I consider education on the content is more important than debatting a term, most people outside Germany of the younger generation (including Jews) haven't an idea what Reichsprogromnacht means.Unforunatly it is not the only pogrom (Poland 1945) or today in Rumania etc against Sinti and Roma - where most of us "look away" even though we have no secret police to fear etc. Food for thought.

(47)
Chess,
November 6, 2012 2:45 PM

And anti-semitism?

The term "anti-semitism" is another misleading term of German origin which was introduced into our vocabulary in 1870 in an attempt to give "scientific" justification to anti-Judaism. Jews of all people should NOT use this term, and it would be so good if Rabbi Blech could write an article on this subject.

(46)
Ken McAllister,
October 12, 2011 11:46 PM

all ignorance toboggans into know

There was a pop band called "Nacht und Nebel." In English, the phrases "resettlement in the east" and "final solution" are used either in ignorance or in horrified acknowledgement of the irony. As a teacher, I don't mind flippant use, because I can quickly point the child to material which will sober them. When they know what happened, they are a step away from childhood. I agree with Jan. You can't change history by changing the words. Goebbels failed.

(45)
Henry Wiltschek,
September 22, 2011 7:26 PM

Another excellent Article by Rabbi B. Blech

Rabbi Blech has done another excellent masterpiece on
the various German descriptions used by the Nazis not only for the Jewish people, but others.
It sounded strange when Jews were rounded up for the Dachau Concentration Camp - and were told :" This was for their own protection " ( perhaps from hate incited Brown Shirts and rowdies ) While being tortured and killed by their " Protectors ". I could never understand
the meaning of: " Arbeit macht Frei " - work makes you free - rather should have been " Death makes you Free " from this terrible existence.

(44)
Jaki Kennedy,
June 23, 2011 6:52 PM

Well said!

Why indeed would that which is lauded as the beginning of the Holocaust be remembered with such nomenclatural finery?

(43)
Ann Brady,
March 1, 2011 4:17 PM

Fine Crystal

A superb piece, dear Rabbi Blech. It made me think. To me, the term "kristallnacht" invokes the memory of human beings who, themselves, were the finest of crystal - not mere glass smelted from the sands of hostile deserts - but crystals embodying the far greater and inextinguishable Light of G-d.

(42)
Chxayim,
November 4, 2010 8:37 AM

Death Camps

Why are DEATH Camps always called "Concentration Camps?"

(41)
Jan,
November 4, 2010 8:37 AM

Kristallnacht

What happened that night changed the word for everyone. The word Kristallnacht, in German, to the world indicates that night of infamy. To change the name at this point is to lose recognition and remembrance. I strongly disagree with your argument for that reason.

Ken McAllister,
October 12, 2011 9:20 AM

all ignorance toboggans into know

There was a pop band called "Nacht und Nebel." In English, the phrases "resettlement in the east" and "final solution" are used either in ignorance or in horrified acknowledgement of the irony. As a teacher, I don't mind flippant use, because I can quickly point the child to material which will sober them. When they know what happened, they are a step away from childhood.
I agree with Jan. You can't change history by changing the words. Goebbels failed.

(40)
Tamara,
November 4, 2010 8:36 AM

too true

I have wondered for years why people talk about "extermination" instead of murder, massacre, etc....... Extermination is for rodents.

(39)
Reid H.,
May 12, 2010 7:44 PM

Slight misinterpretation

A "night light" is a specific piece of electric equipment. The ad quoted is undoubtedly for bulbs that would fit a night light and also small electric candles. That is, they are crystal night-light bulbs, not crystal-night lightbulbs.

(38)
kittrell,
May 1, 2009 11:37 AM

this story is the best of all the holocuast stories

(37)
daniel and talia,
April 18, 2009 11:49 PM

remembering Kristallnacht

Upon reading your article I expressed to my wife my agreement. She objected passionatly. This from one who lost almost all her paternal side of the family. We immediatly googled "Kristallnacht ", and discovered the top article to be wikepedia (not known to be jew friendly) describing in detail the horrors. The next was an article furthering the explanation as a murderous pogram.Sometimes in our attempt to make a point we go to such an extreme where we loose the point we were trying to make. This article although important is wrong.In my opinion it can confuse or turn people away from this tragic event.G-d forbid loosing credibility among new generations. The horrors of the holocaust were great enouph that new words can dilute the rampage. There must be something other than this German named killing spree that the writer can find objectionable.

(36)
Katherine McLean,
January 22, 2009 3:59 PM

Euphremistically anti-Zionist

Euphremisims perpetuate the hatred and confuse many people. Europeans and even Germans speak of not being anti-semetic (oh no!) but are pefectly OK with "anti-Zionism". Since anti-Zionism would deny Israel the right to exist as a Jewish state or a Jewish homeland, and would support a people who's declared goal is the eradication of all Jews by terrorism and death or if need be by demographics, anti-Zionism IS anti-semitism taken to a new level. Make no mistake, anti-Zionists work for the destruction of Israel and the continued terrorising of Jews no matter where they live. Again. The most frightening thing is that many anti-Zionists are American far left Jews. This site is an education we all need and I thank you for it.

(35)
Henry Hill,
November 22, 2008 11:36 AM

They glorified the principle of murder by euphemism.

What a great insight. I teach history and will use your web site to help my students understand this evil behavior. Thank you.

(34)
Anonymous,
November 19, 2008 9:23 AM

thank you Kip

Thank you for your kind words. Even though you didn´t speek to me in person.
With tears in eyes - thank you.
Why i say this?
I was really shocked about 3 years ago when through a visit in the jewish museum i found out what had happened in my country. Since then i am really trying to find out the truth about it all, which is not easy since not many people like to talk about it.
My problem as a believer is, that i sometimes get the feeling that if it laid in the hands of G´ds people instead of His hands Himself, i´d have no chance to once be with Him in heaven anymore. A scary thought....
So thank you for your kindness, praying that Austria once will understand it as Germany allready has...
Be blessed.

(33)
Anonymous,
November 14, 2008 3:07 AM

euphemisms

Nothing has changed. Look at today's euphemisms. 'Freedom fighters' are Palestinian terrorists. 'Land for peace' is a euphemism for a Judenrein Israel.

(32)
Anonymous,
November 13, 2008 6:15 PM

The afticle has given me clear understanding of what happened that night.

Very well documented --Why it happened I never knew. How cruel. It weighs upon my spirit.

(31)
Kip Gonzales,
November 12, 2008 4:57 AM

to Joanne (30)

Dear Joanne,
You refer to "Reconcilliation" as sheer madness. Why? That doesn´t mean to just forget that crimes ever were committed.
Do you believe that descendants of General Custer could and should never be reconcilled with Native Americans? Do you believe that grandchildren of KuKluxKlan members should never approach Afro-Americans with the desire for reconcilliation? Rolf Mengele, the son of Josef Mengele once gave an interview to a German magazine, and donated all the money he got from it to survivors of Auschwitz.
In Isaiah 59:1-2 it says," Behold, the Lord´s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your G-d, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."
Then in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together", says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool." Sounds like reconcilliation to me! If we are to seek reconcilliation with our Maker, and even the Goyim are to do the same, what´s wrong when Germans and Jewish people from Israel are dear friends, and nothing stands between them?

I don't agree with you, Rabbi Blech. Coming from a group of Jews, who for generations spoke and studied German, I feel that in remembering the date of 9/10 November as Kristallnacht is significant. We who used (and still do at times use) the German language and we, who were brought up within a Germanic culture have a right to keep intact our heritage. Eventhough, the memory of which is sometimes a nightmare.
I am reminded particularly of a wonderful Berliner. A Jew, a member of our community who survived Auschwitz. I feel certain he would say the fighting spirit that kept him alive all those years would now strive to belligerently recall that night in November as it was first dubbed. Kristallnacht! We still live, sometimes we survived as shatterd glass, but we live and as crystal I do hope we will always shine!
Aluv HaShalom JS

(28)
Brenda FauxB.,
November 11, 2008 8:54 AM

A Modern and continuing Holocaust

Today's most offensive euphemism is
Pro-Choice, to cloak the murder of approaching 50 million newly conceived babies worldwide, by tearing them limb from limb in the womb.

(27)
Jacque,
November 10, 2008 7:51 PM

accurate name for kristallnacht

how about night of unspeakable horrors or night of abominations?

(26)
Robert K Jacobs MD,
November 10, 2008 6:29 PM

Why Kristallnacht? To remember!

As was made clear in the article, part of the perfidy of the Nazis was their use of the euphamism. To keep the term, but explain its irony, helps to demonstrate the evil and stay true to the history. So I vote to retain the use of the word "Kristallnacht" while clearly understanding how the lovely image became horrible.

(25)
Kip Gonzales,
November 10, 2008 12:41 PM

70 years later in Munich

I just returned from an unforgetable weekend in Munich, where a group of about 20 Israelis came to commemorate 70 years since the Kristallnacht, or, as it is more acurately described as the Pogromnacht. These Israelis, all born after the war, and some of whom are descendents of only surviors of the Shoah, gathered at the Old City Hall
(Altes Rathaus) in Munich, where Goebbels first heard of the shooting in Paris of the diplomat Von Rath, and unleashed the pogrom. These Israelis sang songs, prayed, and sounded the shofar in that very room. The next day, I gave them a guided tour through the concentration camp memorial at Dachau, where many Jews were brought after the Pogromnacht. About 8 German friends joined the group. Everyone was so much in tears that we had to pray and sing to continue. Arni, the leader of the group, assured the German friends that they didn´t need to carry the weight of so much shame on their shoulders. These fine people prayed for forgiveness for what their fathers and grandfathers had done, and Arni told them that if they had lived in those days, with such hearts, they would have been prisoners, too. At the crematorium, in the room once used as a gas chamber, the Kaddish was spoken, and there was not a dry eye.
Many later said that they now had a different way of viewing Germans. There are so many Germans that are the opposite of their forefathers, and many have a strong bond and love for Israel! I have seen no country in Europe that deals with the Holocaust so openly, honestly, and truthfully as Germany. It is even a crime to publicly deny the Holocaust or make anti-semitic statements. I encourage Jews from any country to come and visit Germany. You will be treated with respect and hospitality, especially from Christians.
The Neo-Nazis are not quite as rampant as sometimes depicted in the press. When anti-semitic graffitti appears, it is usually from Muslims. Maybe I may get my wish someday and teach here on anti-semitism and the Holocaust. High school students already learn some about the Holocaust, but they also need to hear something redemptive, that can draw them to the Almighty, so that real reconciliation can take place.

(24)
Michal,
November 10, 2008 12:03 PM

So called Kristallnacht

I would just like to add, that in Germany calls the "Kristallnacht" plainly Kristallnacht anymore. It gets the addition "so-called" to it, in order to emphasize the euphemism. Either that, or it gets the name "Reichspogromnacht", meaning THE night of pogroms.

(23)
Rephoel Moeller,
November 10, 2008 11:34 AM

Kristalnacht

Keep the name We all know what it stands for and that the resho'im used terms to make all their behaviour towards Jews legal and culturally acceptable. My parents were there
,(not together)m as were many of the fellow mispallelim in my shul who managed to escape.The horrors they went through are too bitter for them to talk about. Do we call the evil people Nazis or Germans? Does it matter? Not all German goyim were Nazi followers but he Nazis were all Germans,many from 'respectable'families. The oppression and terrorism against German Jews began in 1933 but this night,the 16th of marCheshvon was the 'official' beginning,thanks to the excuse of Hershel Grynzpan's assasination of the Nazi diplomat.Too bad he did not kill Hitl YM"S. Hashem yikom domom.Rav S Schwab,ZT"L also did not approve of using the 'kristalnacht'name.It also sound like a Goyishe Joshke holiday. Many people fast on the Monday of ta'anis sheinim closest to 16 marCheshvon and say extra selichos. Klal Yisroel incluudes the aveilus of the German murders on Tish'a b'Av.

(22)
Thea,
November 10, 2008 10:47 AM

agree that Kristallnacht is totally unacceptable

I have always thought how inappropriate the name "Kristallnacht" was. The German translation is not even "night of broken glass". It is simply "night of crystal", someone who does not know of the horor of that night, might suppose that it was a festive evening with cyrstal chandeliers, and tables loaded with crystal glassware. We should remove the name. It is even worse than an euphemism. It makes a night of horor sound like a party.

(21)
Susan,
November 10, 2008 9:55 AM

I agree

I always hated the name Kristallnacht. It implied something beautiful and delicate, not the rage, the hate, the ugliness of death and destruction. I am not sure what it should be called. Is there a name that appropriately describes any of this?

(20)
Alan R. Naftalis,
November 10, 2008 2:06 AM

The Lessons of Kristallnacht are more important than its name

While I understand the Rabbi's concerns about using the term "Kristallnacht" I must dissent from his desire to change it. The term already has an established and a horrific meaning within the history of nazi Germany and the Holocaust. No one who has taken the time to read about the conduct of the German government and population from 1932 to 1945 is mislead by this term. Changing the name only confuses people and our attempt to change this name for some symbolic reason, will only be used by Holocaust deniers as an example of how Jews are re-writing history. No serious person can misunderstand that the shattered glass is a symbol of the shattered lives the actions of that night produced and how it lead to an even more horrible genocide.What we should be asking is not whether the name is correct, but why in the face of what happened that night the world was silent.A world-wide condemnation and actions to punish Germany for inciting this horror, might have prevented the even more horrible future which was to come.

(19)
Lee Johnson,
November 9, 2008 9:05 PM

don't change the name "kristallnacht"

One attribute that marks the nazi m.o. is how sinister they were. They didn't call genocide, genocide- They called it "the final solution." They didn't call their racist laws, racist, no- they called them "the Nuremburg laws." The fact that they called the murder and destruction of precious Jewish life and property "Kristallnacht" underlines and hightlights that sinister quality. If you change the name you obscure that fact. I want people to know the nazi's were sinister and that they cloaked their evil deeds in diplomatic vernacular. That must be remembered. If it is not it will be missed when it happens again, something we cannot afford nor allow.

(18)
ellie,
November 9, 2008 7:35 PM

Thank you for a very powerful and heartfelt essay.
In Orwellian terms however, euphanisms are the way that governments manipulate their people. They give names to behavior that are the opposite of the cold truth, i.e. war is peace.......or we are fighting to give Iraq democracy -- when we are fighting for oil..and at the same time having our rights stripped.
The real horror is how we do not have the vision to see the signs and understand the meaning before the devastation. We, people of all denominations, must become our own watchdogs and defenders...of laws, rights and liberty for all....as Herbert Schwarz said: " We as Jews must (teach the world to) protest against the "shattered lives" of all G-d's people throughout the world!" We the people must learn to stand up against prejudice, against poverty, against unkindness, against greed and against the deterioration of human rights whereever and to whomever it sticks up its perverted little head.
Right now, we have problems, great problems in our beloved America...and we must first work to help bring justice and a better distribution of wealth to all. It is the horror of unemployment and unfair distribution of labor's benifits and rights that causes prejudice and anger to flare beyond control. IN Roosevelt's second bill of Rights he said: "Poverty brings about dictatorship (and the negative use of power and greed inflames hatred and brings about evil....as the Nazi's so clearly displayed.
We must become more aware of the earmarks that lead to genocide. And we must, with passion and concern. begin to grow a united human force to upgrade society and through positive change human nature will begin its growth. And this will give us access to a community that will have the power to stand united against terror, denigration and the misuse of power. Never again.....can only become a reality if we stand united for justice and fairness for all. Annonoymous's grandfather made an important point. The stripping of human rights is a loud and clear scream of future catastrophies...and yet we here in America have allowed the torture of prisoners, we have allowed the greed of corporations, the outsourcing of our jobs, the pain of the homeless and our only hope is that with Obama...we will beable to work towards a saner world order.
And Rabbi...as for Cain...who killed Abel......well...as I understood it..God ordered him out of the Garden of Eden....but he argued his case before G-d..."I cannot leave....they will kill me for what I have done" (implying that there were others...) and so God marked Cain so we would not harm him. There are Cains in this world..and the Cains are either born or developed to become willing to do onto others what we would never allow ourselves to do onto them. So, we must keep a careful watch on them...for as is now evident, they have carefully done us harm again...and this time instead of running to God they ran to the government to bail them out....at the expense of the Abel's .......who mostly work for the Cains and have little understanding of what is happening before their very eyes.
One metaphor for Cain and Abel is that CAin represented the Agriculturist and Abel the Sheep herders and the Agriculturist killed the Nomad way of life, locked up the food and that was the real end of the Garden of Eden...but not of the Cains.. But not everyone had a Joseph, a person who seemed to understand the meaning of hte signs, a person of vision, to warn that if one is not careful and planning for the future then the skinny, ugly, greedy cattle will surely eat up the fat ones..(and everyone, even they will suffer), and a new pharoh will come, who did not know of Joseph...or was that a new Cancellor?

(17)
Ita,
November 9, 2008 5:28 PM

By all means

let's focus on what the "proper" name for this night should be! Encourage people to argue over whether Kristalnacht is appropriate or euphamistic! "Fiddle while Rome burns!"

(16)
Wayne,
November 9, 2008 3:12 PM

present-day euphemisms

The author writes, "We must declare that no euphemisms will ever again be permitted to cloak the horrors they intend to conceal." When we refer to the deliberate killing of a pre-born baby as "choice," we are masking a horrendous evil with a nice sounding word. "Woe to them that call good evil and evil good."

(15)
Anonymous,
November 9, 2008 2:53 PM

too sanitary and beautiful

Kristallnacht has always sounded, to me, too beautiful for the wicked and horror-filled thing that it was. Unfortunately, changing the name NOW would create confusion. The spin-"meisters" knew well the end result of their words, which still work so many years after the actual night!

(14)
Anon,
November 9, 2008 2:30 PM

Crystal Night will do

By now most people in the civilised world are aware that the events of 70 years ago were not just broken glass. My family , children and grandchildren,are well aware that on that day their grandfather was carted off to Dachau from which he was rescued, as a WWI hero, by the Wehrmacht. They know it was the beginning of the process which saw him being murdered and his family fleeing to England. Keep the title, it is quite dramatic, fill it with meaning.

(13)
Herbert Schwarz,
November 9, 2008 1:03 PM

I suggest that the designation of "shattered lives" is more appropriate and less biblical. We as Jews must protest against the "shattered lives" of all G-d's people throughout the world!

(12)
Mark,
November 9, 2008 12:38 PM

"Crystal night" light bulbs

The irony that Sylvania would be marketing a "Crystal night" light bulb is inescapable. Sylvania is now part of Osram, a hundred-year old German lighting company. Why would one expect any more sensitivity seventy years after 1938?

(11)
ingrid,
November 9, 2008 10:48 AM

Pogromnacht, night of pogrom

Living in Berlin, I attended several speeches about November 9th 1938 and I heard that Rabbis, historians, journalists etc. called this horrible event "night of pogrom". As a German who was one year old at that time, I can assure you that reasonnable people are ashamed of the crime comitted by German Nazis. I think that this date will be memorized still in far future perhaps even more than the happy event of the falldown of the Wall between West and East in 1989 on november 9th.

(10)
Mordechai Bulua,
November 9, 2008 10:20 AM

Pogrom-nacht

What happened on those nights was nothing other than a pogrom directed against the Jewish community, much as the Cossack and Russian pogroms of an earlier era. Pogroms always resulted in Jewish lives lost, and property confiscated or destroyed, so I believe the term "Pogrom-nacht" would be a proper term, using the German word "nacht" to remind us who the instigators were. It's amazing how Rabbi Blech makes us question terminologies we've always taken for granted. He makes everything KRISTALL-clear!

(9)
Feigele,
November 9, 2008 9:33 AM

Cannot Change the Past!

Therefore, you cannot change the name by which this event happened. It would only bring more confusion and denials from new generations. Maybe you can add to it like “the Massacre of K…..”. I too lost both my parents’ families in Poland and in Lithuania and understand the yearning for the writer to change a name that reminds us of such horrors, but this will not change what happened. Comment # 2, J. Rogovin commented exactly my thoughts, his words are the words I was going to use, like “metaphor”. Of course we don’t remember this event for the broken glass but only for the devil act of destroying all that was Jewish, material and humans. I also agree that Cain’s story has nothing to do with it. No comparison here at all.

(8)
Petra Sky,
November 9, 2008 9:17 AM

Nightmare

As a non-Jewish person, I recently subscribed to Aish to read articles written above a third grade level, from voices full of love and respect for mankind, filling me with warmth and a new understanding and respect for ideas I knew little or nothing about.
This article is very informative and makes an excellent point - Kristallnacht is too pretty a word for what happened on this night 70 years ago.
I would recommend Nightmare - in Yiddish or Hebrew or anything else but German.
My grandfather was a Polish Catholic priest who died in Dachau. So, I put forth the idea of using the Polish word for nightmare - Koszmar.

(7)
Deborah McCann,
November 9, 2008 9:05 AM

Kristallnacht

While my great-grandfather and his oldest daughter survived this night in Poland, ultimately they did not survive the War. For me the shattering of lives was reflected in the glass in the streets, and just as difficult as it is to put glass back together, so were the families and lives. And yes, we do need to remember. Already as a public school teacher I hear how many have forgotten, or worse refuse to believe it happened. What ever it is called, it was horrible.

(6)
Anonymous,
November 9, 2008 8:34 AM

My Grandfather's Legacy

My grandfather was German. He was proud of his heritage and lived in Nazi Germany during the period of WW II. Like so many others, he worked in a concentration camp. My grandmother was murdered there, and our family was decimated. My grandfather was German, he was also Jewish.
I wonder if every one who has lost someone they love focuses on what they believe is a pivotal moment, one which if they could go back in time and change, all subsequent events would be altered. With my grandfather, it was the passing of the Nuremburg Laws, the moment Jews were stripped of their German citizenship in the early 1930’s. He believed those laws allowed the Holocaust to happen. To him, anti-Semitism was a permanent fixture of life, but the loss of citizenship meant the loss of safeguards to protect against it. If any legacy of the Nazi’s has been embedded in our collective consciousness, I believe it is the Nazi ideology that a German isn’t a Jew.
A few years ago, I was at the Holocaust museum. I overheard a Jewish father answer a question from his son by saying, “Yes, that’s what the Germans did to the Jews.” I felt angry, as if my grandfather was still stripped of his citizenship as he lay in his grave, even 75 years after it had first been taken. My grandfather taught me the Holocaust isn’t what “Germans” did to Jews—it is what Germans did to Germans (and Poles, Romanians, Russians and so on) and the only protection from another Holocaust is the law and human rights. My grandfather’s generation rejected reminders of the Holocaust (for example some can’t bear to hear the music of Wagner) almost instinctively from emotional pain. For this generation , by rejecting, we grant the ghost of the Nazi regime power over us, power they don’t deserve. Instead of rejecting, we should re-claim. I listen to Wagner. For something such as this, I won’t allow Nazi’s to dictate what I can and can’t listen to. My grandfather spoke German and called Kristallnacht, Kristallnacht, (which I translate by choice into “the night of the broken glass”). A glass breaking under foot at weddings always reminded him of the sound of glass grinding under foot on the sidewalks and streets. I think Kristallnacht is an appropriate name, since the sound of breaking glass is a symbol of commitment—to struggle, to survive, to outlast. It is also a German word and I fear dissociating with all things German because they aren’t Jewish (which I have already explained). The second problem is what to call it if not Kristallnacht. Night of Cain (because of the first murder) wipes out the history of a thousand years of pogroms, the victims of which suffered equally whether in 1738 or 1938 regardless of the size of the assault or death toll. Much of the glass that night came from two hundred destroyed synagogues. A glass breaking at a wedding reminds some of loss—my grandfather’s and the loss of the temple. Perhaps you might wish to leave this word for now, and “reflect” upon it.

(5)
Elisheva,
November 9, 2008 8:22 AM

I was so proud to learn a few years ago that my Gentile grandfather, a German police inspector who happened to be on duty with his men that night, told them that they were forbidden to take part in what was going on. If any one of them did, he would be sacked. Nearly all of his men obeyed, because they respected him so much.

(4)
ruth housman,
November 9, 2008 8:18 AM

Kristallnacht

I found this interesting and I understand this commentary, being so entirely about language and how we use language to characterize our lives with the symbolic, as ever subtexts.
Yes, it is an interesting word and does seem to connote, if one views this dispassionately, and doesn't know the history, a night of stars, a crystal night when all is clear, as in a perhaps "CRYST" mas postcard. So we have this paradox and it's deep and it is intense, and I can see the disturbing, profoundly disturbing aspects to a name for an event that was beyond horrific.
It is so true, that words can convey these intensely paradoxical double meanings. The word CLEAVE for example, meaning to cleave to as in love or embrace that's deep and to cleave as in split asunder.
I could say with respect to CAIN that aurally Cain means in Hebrew, YES, so I would say this too, this too....
Something profound to think about.
Thank You, in truth/ruth

(3)
Michal Evenari,
November 9, 2008 8:05 AM

"Kainsnacht" - this name is to "soft"

I am from Germany and I am good at the German language. Who knows nowadays in Germany who was Kain? And when you pronounce it, there is no difference between "Kain" and "kein", and so in German it sounds like "No-night". Only a few and Jews would know what it ment.
Kristallnacht is a real beautiful word. Kristall is not only simple glass, but it really is the kind of glass that sparkles, and when you hold it against the sun, you see sunrays in it. It is really infernal, that this destroying of Gods holy places and human beings lifes have been given such a name - and is still in use. You are right, one thinks of beautiful wine glasses and church windows. No connection, no, the opposite of reality, of what really happened. I lived in Germany at that time, was 4 years old and knew nothing about it, as there was no Synagogue in our little town. But you are right, nobody should use this name anymore!
You actually opened my eyes for the Euphemisms at every place, where Jews were killed. So much was I used to it,
although now I am a Jew myself. And one cannot compare what happened in Germany with the murder of Kain. Kains envy was something like a reason. The bloodthirst of the Germans had no real reason. And they killed Millions.

(2)
Jarrow L. Rogovin,
November 9, 2008 7:53 AM

Kristillnacht has a clear meaning

The rabbi cannot be more wrong. Kristallnacht has a chilling, horrible meaning. It is a metaphor. As glass was shattered and destroyed, so were lives. And it was done in plain sight of the world -- as glass makes both sides of the pane visible.
It is a tremendous metaphor and the critic is being simplistically argumentative.
To the extent that the term was invented by Goebbels, even that is signficant: On another level, the term tells another story, how the Germans tried to ascribe the event to mere broken glass, ironically entirely missing the metaphor of how civilization itself was being shattered. The critic needs a class in literature and criticism.
###

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...